It can grow badly, or it can grow nicely. Doing nothing causes any community to grow badly, because the pressure of investment never relents, and concessions eventually have their day (an amenable council, an influential developer, and a crooked approval will eventually have an opening).

Fighting every single change means we can't put in the sensible, community orientated changes that we want while we are still ahead of the powerful players. They are always waiting on the periphery for the public to drop their guard, at which point they shove their projects through at the expense of the common citizen (some cheesy exclusive condo/mall monstrosity).

A light rail system is a quiet, high-density, high capacity, accessible system for the people of Hamilton. It serves those who don't want or can't have cars. It is far more quiet that the bus (for the benefit of the residents near Main). It is more comfortable than the bus. It won't get held up by traffic (it will be bad in ten years). Seeing as Ontario has already made the expensive commitment to nuclear energy, why not transport ourselves with carbon free energy? Goodness knows, we're paying for it!

The downtown houses are all already converted or converting to duplexes and triplexes. Downtown Hamilton is densifying because it is a beautiful place to live, but this means less room for cars, traffic, and more potential for noise. How about making a decision that allows Hamilton to densify with LESS noise and LESS traffic? How about we get ahead and make MORE of Hamilton nice and accessible BEFORE it gets dense, so that it doesn't become an expensive , over-crowded mess like Toronto?

Like any city these days, Hamilton needs good industrial jobs. Heavy manufacturing has been suffering for decades, and interest rates are not budging because there is no broad income growth. Modern, advanced, infrastructure projects are the best way to get everybody back into good employment where they can put their skills and experience to full use.

My grandparents lament the Ontario of the 50s and the 60s, when the public built first and asked questions later. Infrastructure led settlement, it didn't pander to settlement or respond to crises. Infrastructure wasn't held up by fighting and whining. Infrastructure was for the public, not for some corporation. If somebody wanted to get ahead and came from nothing, all they needed to do was show up and be a team player, and they could build a future. There was plenty of work to do. "The Future" was supposed to clean, advanced, safe cities (infrastructure, amenities), not stupid useless apps, riches for real-estate investors/lawyers/lenders/coder-bros and unemployment for everyone else!

There is a need (modern transit), there is a solution (LRT), there is money (federal funding) and there are benefits. Please, let's grab this opportunity!

I am totally behind the building of the LRT in Hamilton. Given that the funding provided by the province is already promised, there is no better time to move forward.
This is a huge opportunity for the City of Hamilton to have the beginnings of a surface rapid transit system that will quickly and conveniently connect East to West (initially) unhindered by traffic congestion.

Finally breaking ground on the long proposed LRT project will send a strong message to the business and industrial community that Hamilton is a City with its eye on the future.

This is a brief note, as a concerned citizen on Hamilton, to request that you vote to support the LRT. It will bring such clear benefits across the city, from Ward 1 to Ward 15, andachieve numerous social and development goals. LRT is clearly the most environmentally friendly alternative to bring rapid transit to the city and support the City’s targets on greenhouse gases.
I don’t understand why we are considering turning down an opportunity to develop our city center and free us from the current situation wherein we are continually faced to pay increasing levels of municipal taxes to support city infrastructure. Not only does the project give us a huge infusion of upfront investment – much of which will be used to upgrade infrastructure on the LRT corridor – but it will generate much needed development downtown that will more than offset the operating costs.
Our inner core is a wasteland of vacant lots and surface parking, in large part because it can only be accessed by car. The development of those areas that comes out of this program represents several tens of millions of dollars of lost tax revenue. For example, when 40 Bay St S and 150 Main St W were developed, they went from paying $56,000 to $900,000 a year in property taxes. Those are development fees and tax dollars that could absorb Hamilton’s next tax hike, instead of continuous increases to those in the outlying areas.
Many Hamiltonians in their twenties, still living with their parents in the suburbs, cannot afford cars, and need an efficient transit system to get downtown to work. Likewise, we have a large and growing population of seniors across the city, whose transportation options are too limited. How will we ever get rapid transit out to the suburbs without first bringing it out to McMaster?
The combined LRT/Bus/Go depot sounds like a great resource, especially to those who either can’t - or choose not to – drive. We’d love to be able to access downtown, the airport, the GO Station, and the amenities of the city without having to drive everywhere, but for this we need a fast, dedicated transit corridors that link the city with the outskirts. The B and A lines are already provincially funded - why are we giving this up so that that money can be spent in another city?
This is a one-time opportunity to do the right thing for Hamilton and for Dundas. Please support the rapid approval and staffing of the LRT Environmental Assessment on 19 April and use your influence in council to support this critical program.
Thanks for your consideration and support

Please don't let history repeat itself. Vote YES for the LRT so that we can keep this city moving in the future., and draw in a new thriving commerce which will help revitalize the eyesore in our downtown's core. Lets plan for our kids and their children and not for ourselves.

Let's get this LRT process moving forward, please! It would serve so much benefit to our city residents and economy, and at the same time it would prove that we're serious -- and leading by example -- that we're committed to responsible earth stewardship and reducing our emissions. There is NO GOOD REASON to turn this down!!

The LRT will have a substantial economic benefit for our city--with the growing number of youth and elderly in Hamilton, their needs must be considered and protected in an environmentally and economically sound way. LRT all the way!

The LRT will be a fabulous,environmentally sound addition to the city, that will great spur development, in fill, + transportation connection with
Stoney Creek, Dundas, and help ALL areas.
Thanks for listening.

Hamilton is at risk missing a crucial step forward to becoming a city of innovation and importance. Name one great city around the world that doesn't have a form of LRT. According to Wikipedia, over 400 cities around the world have a form of LRT. Hamilton should as well!

Having lived in a number of cities across the province of Ontario, I can't help but think that my hometown's development is impeded by its antiquated public transport system. Introducing an LRT in Hamilton makes good economic, environmental, and social sense; it's a forward-thinking move that I believe will significantly support healthy and sustainable growth within the city. I hope that officials will take the time to evaluate the long term gains of the LRT. Think how different our city might have looked has council introduced such a system when it was initially proposed in the 80s!

We want to be proud of our city and our city councillors. Please make the right decision and go down in history as politicians who had the city's best interest at heart, a vision for the common good of ALL its residents, real leadership for the future including the health of the environment and economic development of this hella ambitious city!

It's incredibly short-sighted to deny ourselves this opportunity to improve Hamilton as a city, and fight global climate change. The next 5 years matter tremendously in determining the future of our planet. It is essential that we don't stagnate and fester in a stubborn misguided stand against change.

As a resident of Hamilton and environmentalist I would like to support the LRT initiative. I think increasing the effectiveness of public transit in Hamilton is a critical component to improving the wellness and future prospects of our community. Having seen LRT in numerous cities around the world I know it can have a tremendously positive impact. If we want Hamilton to grow into a sustainable community this is a clear step.
Thanks for your consideration.

As a resident and business owner in hamilton, I hopeful that Hamilton council decides to invest in our future. Our taxes are amongst the highest in the country and our infrastructure is aging. We need this investment. We should build on the momentum that our great city has achieved over the past few years.

Great cities have great transit and
With this investment we can ensure the right foundation is in place to serve hamiltonians for generations to come whether or not they are transit riders or taxpayers.

Please, we deserve it. We live in a wonderful city and I would like to see it get even better.

sustainable transportation must be a priority for a city with a growing, young population. Any alternatives such as RBT are outdated and unreliable. A vote for the LRT is a vote for our bright and growing future.

The government today said there is no guarantee that the 1 billion earmarked for Hamilton's LRT would still be available to Hamilton, if council votes against the LRT. I can't believe this city would be so backwards to turn their back on 1 billion dollars and the opportunity to start modernizing this city.

Living in Dundas, once can't help to feel a bit dissapointed that the LRT does not reach into Dundas, and at the East end of the city, I am sure they feel the same. But all those things can be addressed in the future, but only if we take the money now and build the LRT. The future is not in more busses.

The reality is

a) if Hamilton does not take the money for the LRT, another city will take it without hesitation

b) whether we take the money or not, all of us tax payers will still pay the taxes for it. I'd be much happier that my taxes are paying for this money if we were acutally benefiting from it because Hamilton voted YES to the LRT as opposed to if they vote NO and the money goes to another municipality's LRT for which I will be still paying taxes.

c) holding on to the hope that the government will still give Hamilton the 1 billion dollars if they reject the LRT is foolhardy. If you vote YES, you get the money for sure, even if a new provincial government is elected in 1 years time. If you vote NO and the government says that they may or will for sure give Hamilton the 1 billion anyway, is a BIG RISK if they loose the next election (which according to current polls, they probably will), because a new government does not have to keep that promise (and they probably won't as they will have their own agenda on what they want to spend money on).

You need to vote YES. I do not want my taxes to go toward some other city benefiting from this 1 billion dollars.

LRT is needed if Hamilton is to become the city we know it can be in the coming decades. As the next generation of people living across the GTHA are coming to realize, Hamilton is going to be the best place to live, raise a family, go to school or start a business in the province.

We need to leverage this investment now and build the infrastructure that will make our city a safe, mobile, and growing city.

Featured Statement

As a resident and business owner of a small cafe on King East in Hamilton, I'm FOR the development of LRT as the absolute best possible way of creating safer, more accessible and more complete streets! Progress for Hamilton is hinging on the development of transit and we need the LRT to move forward with expediency based on the research that has been completed, the staffing reports, and on the support from City Council!

The opportunity is before us, and yes, we have to figure out where to park the trains, but let's do business differently in Hamilton, where we cease to malign good and well-researched plans for the antics and outcries of a few!

Leadership takes bold steps, looks beyond a three year term and recognizes that in a city as busy and incredibly diverse as Hamilton, movement forward and change are always hard, but without them, we stagnate and lose out on all that happens around us!

Recent News

On Monday, Vote #yesLRT
There is only one way to stop the anti-LRT gang from derailing the biggest public infrastructure investment in the city's history.

Support the #yesLRT Campaign
A broad coalition of LRT supporters including Hamilton Light Rail has come together with a new campaign called #yesLRT to make sure this project stays on the rails through the upcoming municipal election.